Rape Victims Seek Life Imprisonment for Gurmeet Ram Rahim

Chandigarh, Oct 4: Two female disciples who were raped by self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, have moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking life imprisonment for him as the 20-year jail term given was not enough.

In their petition filed before the High Court here, the two girls, who were raped by the godman in 1999, said the 10-year jail term to the Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, in each case of rape was not enough for the heinous crime he committed.

The court had said the 10-year prison term will run consecutively (one after another).

Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and finef over Rs 30 lakh after being convicted by the CBI special court in Panchkula on two counts of rape of female disciples.

The victims pointed out in their petition that in rape cases where a person in a position of authority or power misuses that position to commit rape, he should be given maximum punishment – which is life imprisonment.

They pointed out that a lesser punishment would not achieve “the ends of justice”.

“Gurmeet is head of religious organisation known as Dera and had committed a grave breach of trust and he was called Pitaji (father),” the petition stated.

“Abusing his position as religious head, in whom the followers had blind faith, he committed rape,” it added.

Under new provisions introduced after the 2012 gang rape and murder of Nirbhaya in Delhi, a person in position of power and trust faces a maximum of life imprisonment for rape.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s rape conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and another 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several places in Punjab. (IANS)

Dera Sacha Sauda followers had indulged in large-scale violence in Panchkula and Sirsa after the CBI court on August 25 convicted the sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape. IANS

Chandigarh, October 6, 2017 : Haryana police have issued summons to 45 members of a committee of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect to appear before it regarding the violence that erupted following the rape conviction of the Dera chief on August 25, police sources said on Friday.

Police sources said a hard disk, which reportedly contains details of transactions worth Rs 700 crore, including property and hawala deals, of the Dera has been recovered and sent for detailed examination.

The 45-member committee, which included the Dera’s headquarters campus (near Sirsa) chairman Vipassana and vice chairman P.R. Nain, is being accused of planning the violence in Panchkula and other places that left at least 38 people dead and 264 injured.

Dera Sacha Sauda followers had indulged in large-scale violence in Panchkula and Sirsa after the CBI court on August 25 convicted the sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape.

The Haryana Police had last month issued a list of 43 ‘Most Wanted’ people of the sect, including top functionaries Honeypreet Insan and Aditya Insan, who are the closest aides of Ram Rahim, for their role in the violence.

Honeypreet was arrested from neighbouring Punjab on Tuesday after being fugitive for 38 days. She was booked for sedition and inciting violence.

The disgraced sect chief, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, is now lodged in the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak. (IANS)